Refrigerator



Jan. 8 1924, ,479,787 W. M. CLEMANS REFRIGERATOR original Filed Feb. 14. 1921 2 shears-sheet 1 JL? J3 Jam. 8 i924.

W. M. CLEMANS REFRIGERATOR Original Filed Feb. 14. 191

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/A/l/E/V TOR Patented dan 8,v 19240 entre stares gravatar earner* ermee@ nnrarenaaron.

.Application le February 14, 1921, Serial No. 444,957. Renewed June'25, 19223` To aZZ whom t may concern/L Be it known that l, WILLIAM M. CLnMANs, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Wheeling, county of Ohio, and State of West Vir nia, have invented certain new and useful mprovements in Refrigerators, of which the following is a v specication.

This invention relates broadly to refrigerators, and, while it is directed'primarily to storage refrigerators of the mechanically cooled type commonly employed inmercantile houses, such aspacking houses, butcher shops, milk depots and the like, it is alsointended to embrace refrigerators of small `size and of ice-cooled type.

The primary object of the invention is to,V

provide a refrigerator having improved and adjustable means whereby a greatly accelerated circulation of air may be malntained therein forilowering theA temperature and,

consequently, for increasing the eiiiciency lfor effecting refrigeration. Q

A further object is to provlde a deck and f bame construction for refrigerators, which A' affords adjustable means whereby effective regulation of the circulating air rafts may.

be readily controlled.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the features of construction, arrangement of parts and combinations 'of elements which will hereinafter be fully described, reference being 'hadl to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of a mechanically cooled refrigerator of one of the larger types, embodying my invention' Y j Q Figure 2 is av fragmentary section on line 2 2, Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section of a'refrixz'-v erator of a large type embodying a modiied form of the invention;

Figure 4 is a similar view of a refrigerator of smaller or domestic size, showing another modification; and-4 Figure 5 is a similar view of a refrigerator of the low box, or show-case, type, showing a further modification of the invention. j

Referrin rst to the structure shown in Figs. 1 an 2 of the drawings, -1 designates v-the top and -2 the opposite side walls of a refri erator body or casing. Mounted Within sald casing at an appropriate height are lon itudinally-extending companion coil'- dee s disposed horizontally, or approximately so, the same being herein indica-ted generally by numerals 3. Said decks are preferably of equal dimensions and` preferably occupy a common horizontal plane, although they may be yslightly inclined downward in in-l ward directions. Each deck haslits `outer edge located at a suitably spaced distance from the adjacent side wall 2 of the casing,

'as .will be explained hereinafter, The width of said decks is such that their inner edges are separated by a space or passage having a width ad'ording a' capacity at leastequal to thatwhich it is predetermined shall be adequate to freely conduct the maximum volume of air that'may at any time befrequired thereof.

Each. coil deck 3 comprises a lower platform 3 .and an upper platform 3, the latter parallel with and spaced from the former to provide an intermediate horizontal slideway 4 in which is received the outer lateral edge portion of a panel 5. Said panel isv slidably-vdisposed in said `slideway and is designed for adjustment 'relative to the opposite deck to any extent which may in practice be required.

Rising vertically from the outer edge portion of each coil deck 3 is a bridge-wall' of the general character commonly termed a baffle-board, the same being herein generalated by the numeral 6. Each of ly desi said ba e-'boards comprises two upright parallel bridge members 6 and 6 disposed in spacedrelation to provide. an. intermediate vertical slideway 7 similar to the slidewaysv4 hereinbefore described. The: inner bridge member 6 rises from the outer edge of the platform 3, while the outer member 6 l rises .from the outer edgeof the platform 3', as s own, said outer member thus .being spaced from the adjacent casing wall 2vto form an intermediate passage 8' through` which air in maximum volume may course upward from the storage chamber 9 located While the gates 10- are herein shown as suspended by cords or cables J12 passed over suitably arranged pulleys 13, it is obvious that various other means for effecting adjustment thereof may be employed, as, for example, a rack and pinion device similar to that herein shown in connection with each of the slide panels 5. 'llhe said rack and pinion device provided vfor shifting each panel 5 comprises a pinion la carried by a longitudinally disposed shaft 15 mounted in suitable bearings, as bearing brackets 16 carried by the lower platform 8 of the coil deck 3. Said pinion is disposed in operative relation to a rack bar 17 which is carried on the under side of the adjacent slide panel 5 in countersunk relation to the latter.

` Each of the various platforms, bridge members, slide panels and gates is preferably .composed of a plurality of superposed thicknesses or layers of material, of which an intermediate layer is preferably cork or other suitable insulatingmaterial or composition, designed to rendersaid parts not readily conductive of heat or cold.

ln practice, air cooled by contact with, or through proximity to, the cooling coils 18 located inthe cooling chamber 19 over the coil decks 3 descends into the storage chamber 9 through the passage 20 between said coil decks, or rather between the inner edges of the slide panels 5, the latter being adjusted relatively to suitably regulate the width and, consequently, theV .capacity of said passage for conducting air. Warm currents of air in the storage chamber, dislaced by the descending cold air, rises adjacent to the side walls 2 of the refrigerator casing and passes upward through the opposite passages 8 and thence over the bridges or baffles 6 to the cooling chamber,

the gates 10 being adjusted to restrict the capacity of the passages 11 to a greater or less extent as may be required for circula- -tion of the character desired.

lin the modification shown in Fig. 3, the arrangement of the decks and bailles is reversed, thereby creating a reversal of the direction of the circulation, the bafes 6a rising from the inner end instead of the outer ends of the decks 3a and having the slide panels 5a adjustable with respect to the side walls 2.

. lin Fig. 4:, which Aillustrates a refrigera` tor casing of a relatively small size, such as those commonly employed in small stores and residences, 'a single coil deck and baffle 1s d1sclosed,.the arrangement being the same as that shown in lFig. 1, except that the slide panel 5b is adjustable with respect to the wall opposite to that adjacent to which the bame 6* is located.

imager The refrigerator depicted in Fig. 5 is of low counter or show-case type, having a series of cooling pipes 21 located in vertically alined relation adjacent to one of that, through adjustment of the slide panels and gates, the circulation of air may be positively controlled for creating and maintaining a relatively lower temperature than is possible where such control is lacking. Further, the described structure provides for the regulation of the circulation in such manner that the objectionable, but common, sweating of objects within the storage chamber\ resulting from condensation of moisture may be effectually eliminated.

What is claimed is- 1. ln a refrigerator, a casing, companion decks partially separating the interior of the casing into an upper cooling chamber and a lower storage chamber, said decks being relatively spaced to provide an intermediate air circulation passage between said chambers, said decks being also spaced from the opposite side walls of said casing to provide side passagea'bridges superposed on said decks and spaced from the top of the casing to form intermediate passages, panels slidably disposed within said decks and adapted for movement toward and away from each other for closing or partially closing said intermediate passage, and panels slidably disposed within said bridges and. adapted for movement toward and 'away from the top of said casing for closing or,

partially closing said intervening passages.

2. lin a refrigerator, a caslng, companion Y decks partially separating the interior of the casing into an upper cooling chamber and a lower storage chamber, said decks being relatively spaced to provide an intermediate air 'circulation passage between said chambers, said decks being also spaced from the opposite side walls of said casing to provide side passages, brid es superposed on saidvdecks and space from the top of the casing to form intermediate passages, panels slidably disposed within said decks and adapted for movement toward and away from each other for closing or -partially closing said intermediate passage, means slidably disposed within said bridges and adapted for movement toward .and away from the top of said/cang for closing or Partially Closin said intervening passages, and means w ereby said panels may be manually adjusted from the exterior of the refgigerator. i

3. ln a refrigerator, a casing, companionA lig@ ,vertical bridges superposed upon said decks and having their upper edges spaced from ,the top of the casing to form intermediate passages, said bridges comprising parallel walls 'with intermediate slideways, and panels slidably disposed within each of said slideways. y

4. In a refrigerator, a casing, companion decks partially separating theA interior of the casing into an upper cooling chamber and a lower storage chamber, said decks being relatively spaced to provide an intermediate air circulation passage between said chambers, said decks being also spaced from the opposite side walls of said casing to provide side passages, each of said decks comprising an upper and a lower platform with an intermediate slideway, substantially vertical bridges superposed upon said decks and having their upper edges spaced from the top of the 'casing to form intermediate slide'ways, panels slidably disposed within each of said slideways and adapted :for movement across the adjacent passages for totally or partially closing the latter, and means whereby said panels may be manually adjusted from the exterior. ator.

5. A refrigerator comprising an outercasing, means disposed within said casing separating the interior thereof into a lower storage and an upper cooling chamber, said means comprising L-shaped members having their vertical portions spaced both from the side' walls and from the. top wall of said outer casing to form intermediate air-circulation passages, the horizontal portions of said members extending inwardly toward, but terminating short of each other to provide an intermediate centrally located aircirculation passage, each of said members consisting of parallel walls with lan intermediate slideway therebetween, panels slidably disposed within said slidewaysr and adapted for movement toward and away from closing relation to said air circulation passages, and means manually operable from the exterior of said ou er casing for adjusting said panels.

In testlmony whereof, I aix my signature in presence fof a' subscribing witness.

WILLIAM M. CLEMANS. Witness:

H. E. DUNLAP.

of the refrigerv 

